Captivations is a monthly feature with links, stories, and news that captivated me.
Moving Forward
As much as I’m counting my blessings, this year is hard. I’ve been low on motivation and creativity and trying to remember that life is not on hold. I also feel like I’m struggling to the finish line. This is our normal now and it will be for a while. How can we pivot to make it the best we can?
Find the beauty in the moments. You can still make memories. My last two months included a pizza picnic at Barr Mansion, Zoom happy hours with my Austin Food Blogger Alliance friends, popping into the office for a few days, a distant dinner party for a friend’s birthday, a Wimberley staycation, visits from an out-of-town friend, dessert deliveries, and a haircut. I hope you’re seeing the good.
Funny Wildlife Photos
These wildlife photographers got the shot! Ok, not the shot you’re thinking of but these will give you a chuckle!
Slave Wrecks Project
Scuba divers and researchers are on a mission to find and learn more about the many ships that carry history. As this National Geographic article states, there were over 12,000 ships making over 40,000 voyages in 250 years that the slave trade was happening yet only five ships are in the database as slave ships. For the people lost at sea and the ancestors who now live in the U.S., the discoveries of these ships help preserve their stories and acknowledge their legacies. Here’s a story about the Clotilda found in 2019.
Black Future
For once we can’t escape it. We are learning to see the world through the eyes of Black Americans. I think it’s important to hear from Black voices to understand what we can do to be more proactive and thoughtful about lifting up people we’ve ignored for a long time. Give this article a read.
Goodbye, Chadwick Boseman
Actor Chadwick Boseman, most known for his role in Black Panther, passed away from a four-year battle with colon cancer. His death hits hard. I can’t imagine the pain and sadness he endured as he brought to life heroes on the screen. Cancer is an ugly beast. As the face of Black Panther, a movie that represented hope and recognition, Chadwick inspired us with his role and the world of Wakanda. As stories of his kindness are shared, he inspires us to be a better person.
Keep Going
Especially this year, I question my desire for having a blog. It’s a lot of work for not a lot of visible payoff. This post echoes my top three reasons why I keep at it. Do you have any hobbies that you could say the same?
On Fire
Not in a good way. California is on fire again and is setting records. This New York Times piece gives a personal account of what it’s like. I watched the recently released documentary ‘Kiss the Ground’ on Netflix and it was a good explanation of how farming is one of the solutions to fighting climate change. I recommend it!
Star Stuff
Space! These new photos of stars, galaxies, and supernova remnants are pretty incredible.
Politics
The lying and disregard for the environment are no issues but surely racism is? If it doesn’t bother you, you are privileged to have never experienced racism and have no care for those who have. We can explain away many things but ignoring issues will not make them go away.
Fall Recipes
As the weather cools, I tend to crave some warm, slow-cooked meals. Here are some recipes to consider:
Decluttering is bad?
Sometimes I think decluttering in the minimalizing sense is a temporary solution to a bigger issue. There are plenty of things in my house that don’t directly bring me joy (i.e. silverware), but they serve a purpose. If I get rid of it, only to buy the same but “better” version, doesn’t that continue the issues of waste and consumption? This article about organizing echoes this. It’s ok to own things! For me, my goal is to consume with thought and purpose, sustainably (less harm to the environment), and ethically (less harm to people).
To explain my first sentence more, our issue is that not that we buy things we don’t necessarily need or want, but deeper than that, we are consumed with the desire to have more things, to keep up with trends, or even to take advantage of a good deal. It’s temporary joy. An easy example of this is fashion! We buy trendy clothes because we want to belong to the hip and cool group. When we’re influenced by someone to buy something, we want to look as good and have the beautiful life that the person has conveyed. This is fine if you’re deeply thinking about your purchase and ponder the product’s sustainability, ethics, and usefulness in your life, but the majority of the world doesn’t, which has caused overconsumption. Purchases drive the economy but at what cost for a worker’s quality of life, for the environment, and for our sanity?
What’s got you captivated lately?
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